


Strange and Magical Drabbles

by Pikuna



Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: Anniversary, Children, Drabble Collection, Established Relationship, Fairy Culture, Family, Fluff, Goblin Culture, Hunting, Jealousy, Kids, Multi, Nicknames, Pixie - Freeform, little angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-05-21 13:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6053919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pikuna/pseuds/Pikuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of a few future drabbles and prompts I got from tumblr or came up with myself.<br/>Mostly contains Butterfly Bog fluff, but also short stories about my OCs, like Bog's father or the children of Marianne and Bog will make it into this collection.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nicknames

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from magic-and-moonlit-wings on tumblr:  
> Some time post-movie, Marianne asks Bog, "If /I/ wanted to call you 'Boggy', would you be okay with that?" What is Bog's reaction? (Bonus: Is she serious?)

“Say, if _I_ wanted to call you _Boggy_ , would you be okay with that?”

The question came out of the blue and nothing had triggered it. They sat on a branch in the Dark Forest and watched the sunset, Marianne leaned against Bog’s side and he had one arm wrapped around her loosely. After the question he shifted a bit to look down at her with a puzzled expression.

“What?”

Marianne was very sure that he had understood what she said, he just couldn’t believe it. so she continued nonchalant.

“You always fuss about it, whenever Dawn or your mother call you that. So I wondered if it would be different with me or if it’s the name in general.” she still looked towards the horizon, but from the corner of her eyes she could see, that Bog studied her.

“It wouldn’t be different.” he finally grumbled.

“Oh and why is that so?” she really was curious about it and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Because it’s ridiculous and…,” Bog seemed to struggled to find another word to describe is displeasure about the nickname. Marianne could see it in his eyes, that looked up into the sky, as if he could find the word up there and the way his claws tapped uneasy against her waist. “…and it sounds so…. _harmless_.”

Marianne had to snort about that. Of course, Bog would be worried about his reputation. The Goblins in the castle wouldn’t never dare to make fun, but who knows what those deeper in the Dark Forest would think.

“Surely, we can’t let it happen, that anyone could think of you as harmless or something like that.” she said jokingly, which earned her a slightly displeased look from him.

“Besides, what’s good in a name, when ye don’t use it?” he tried to defend his point.

“Oh, and what’s then about _Princess_ and _Tough Girl_ for me?” Marianne asked with a smug smile.

“Naming ye by yer title is something different. And…” the former displeased and defensive expression made place for uncertainty, when he looked down, “…A thought ye like the Tough Girl.”

Marianne had to bite her lower lip in guilt. Ohno, he wasn’t really thinking that she was upset about the nickname he gave her, like he was with the Boggy one.

“I do. Really, I love it.” she said softly and laid one hand on his chest, to reassure him. “And I really have to give you credit for giving me such a fitting nickname, even when we didn’t really know each other.” Marianne continued -after Bog had lifted his gaze a bit- with a smirk and patted his chest. The Bog King had a slight smirk of his own on his face.

“Well, it jumped me into the face, quite literally.” His grin got even wider, when Marianne let out a bark of laughter at that joke.

“True that. But there also lays the problem.”

Bog raised a brow in puzzlement. Marianne just leaned back and shrugged.

“The only thing I came up with was _scaly-backed cockroach_ and I really don’t want to use that anymore. Quite understandable, right? Even when it’s reeeally fitting”

The Goblin hummed slightly amused and agreed.

“I’m good in coming up with insults-”

“Which ye proof everytime, when ye talk about that blonde idiot.” Bog muttered with a chuckle.

“Hey, he is very inspiring for that kind of stuff.” Marianne defended herself with a bit of proud in her voice. “Anyway, the point is, that I have a hard time comping up with a nice nickname for you.”

“Well, when it gives ye so much trouble, just stop thinking about it. It’s not like ye need to have one for me.” he suggested and it was visible, that he didn’t understand why Marianne gave herself such a hard time with it.

“I may don’t need to, but I do want to. It’s not fair you have one for me, but I none for you.” she countered, sitting straight and poked his chest slightly.

“And _Boggy_ is the first thing ye would call me? Very desperate, _Tough Girl._ ” he teased her smirking. It actually pleased Bog, that Marianne was so determined to have a nickname for him. Having terms of endearment were such a _nomral-couple_ thing and while they where by far not such one, they still were happy for having little pieces of it. It was a proof for themselves, that they were just that: a couple.

“It would be that or walking pinecone stick.”

Bog made face at her and Marianne just looked innocent at her nails.

“Told you, I’m not creative with them.”

He just groaned, but sounded more amused than annoyed, while he rubbed his face.

“At least a pinecone hurts, when ye throw it at someone.”

Marianne snorted. “True and you would be the most hurting pinecone I could threw at anyone.”

“IF ye even manage to lift me up.” Bog added slightly mocking.

“Are you saying, that I’m not strong enough to lift you up, _Bog King_?” Marianne sensed the challenge he presented her and she jumped on immediately.

“With all due respect, _Princess_. A may look not like much, but A’m still heavy as a boulder.”

The Fairy was now on her knees, so that she hadn’t to crane her neck so much, to look with a determined frown at him.

“Hey, I already lifted a whole bunch of boulders in my life!”

“Aye, wee ones, A’m sure of it.” he waved her off with a smug smile.

“They were at least bigger than your ego.”

The bickering continued for a while until it became a tickle fight, that none of them was willing to lose. They hardly managed it to stay on the branch. When night had completely taken over the Dark Forest, the tickle-fight had become a passionate kissing session.

 

Marianne would come up with a better nickname for Bog, later. Still, whenever she wanted to tease him she would drop the Boggy at him and it would amuse her until the end of days, how he muttered the emendation.


	2. Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from RazormusPrime:  
> "Bog and Marianne doing something to get closer to one another like maybe Bog showing Marianne an aspect of goblin culture maybe duels or crafting weapons? Or maybe Marianne showing Bog something from her culture? Like music and dances common for her people and people from the Light Fields?"
> 
> Took me a while to come up with a good, of course it would be something related to the Dark Forest.  
> Bog wants to show Marianne how Goblins hunt. It was an innocent idea that became a little bit angsty.

It was a rather spontaneous trip they did.

Griselda had shown up in the sparring room, before Marianne and Bog could start with their daily training and informed her son, that the ordered meat from the Hunter tribe hadn't arrived yet. If he didn't want to hear the complains from the other Goblins and have a complete meal this evening, he had to go out and hunt down something. Bog had grimaced at the fact, that they would have to postpone their beloved sparring, but the duties of a king always took precedence of his own fun. Since only a small animal was needed he could hunt alone and so he came up with the idea to ask Marianne, if she wants to accompany him.

At first, Marianne was unsure about it. Fairies didn't eat meat, therefore they didn't need to hunt and when it came to killing animals her kind got very sensitive. They favored to preserve life of any kind, which made murder the highest crime in the Light Fields, but still would only be punished with life imprisonment or banishment. But for the Goblins killing was an everyday occurrence they did to survive. Hunting was an art for itself and highly esteemed, while slaying other Goblins without a reason wasn't approved of. Ironically the punishment was execution.

Bog saw her uncertainty, so he assured her that she didn't have to hunt with him, just to watch. Marianne knew that the hunting was very important for the Goblin culture and that Bog wanted to share it with her. Besides, Griselda had once told her, that hunting an animal for your desired partner was part of Goblin courting rituals, so Marianne could imagine that this was a way for Bog to show off a bit. With that in mind she agreed to come with him and had to grin about the way his face lit up at her answer.

And now they were crouching in a bush and waited silently. Bog had guided her to the roots of a very big tree. Between the roots she could spot little holes that lead into a nest of mice, which were very easy to catch as Bog explained to hear. Together they collected some berries, laid them on a plain field before the holes and scrunched a few of them, so that the smell would elicited the small animals. They retreated into the nearest bush and lied in ambush. The Goblin King had replaced his staff for a spear, something that would kill the speedy creatures faster. He went tense, when the first mice came out of their nests, his whole body was ready to leap out of the bush and his brows were furrowed in concentration. Marianne cowered a bit behind him, so she wouldn't disturb his focus and she was glad he didn't noticed how she stared at him. The predatory posture of her Goblin Lover was somewhat alluring for her, that she was glad not to be part of the hunt. Surely, she would be too distracted right now.

The noises from the mice grew louder and Marianne managed to look away from Bog and set her eyes on their makeshift trap. There were now half-dozens of the rodents and when she looked back to Bog she could see, that his own eyes darted between them forth and back. He seemed to decide which one of the little creatures would end up as his target. After a minute he had decided and without a warning Bog leaped out of the bush, the spear at the ready. A few of the mice reacted immediately at the charging Goblin and retreated back into their holes, but not the one that Bog had chosen. With a vicious snarl he drove the spearhead into the torso of the mouse, before it could escape. The agonizing squeak of the animal made her shudder in an unpleasant way and she looked to the ground when she dropped on her knees.

After some deep breaths she dared to look back to Bog, who inspected the now dead mouse and pulled his spear out of the body. Blood dripped to the floor and Marianne had to gulp. He looked so nonchalant after killing an innocent animal and somehow that felt so wrong for her. Any alluring thoughts had vanished at the sight of the blood and she gulped again. She really had thought that it wouldn't hit her so much to see Bog kill something, that she could just swallow it and be proud of him. The blood was not the biggest problem, she had seen it before - even when it never was so much - but the thought of the other mice was what made her feel uneasy. Were they the family of the death one? Did Bog maybe killed a mother of children who had now to grow up without her?

The Goblin King shouted something to her, but Marianne didn't really catch it and just looked up to him. She saw that he had smiled, but it changed into concern when he got sight of her pale and slightly shocked face. Slowly Bog walked back to her after he had laid the spear down and crouched besides her.

"Marianne?" he asked quietly and hesitated, before he started to rub her shoulder softly. This relaxed her and after a deep breath she smiled weakly at him.

"I'm good. Just...a bit surprised." The Fairy Princess took another deep breath and the color returned to her face. "You did a nice job there." she nodded into the direction of the dead animal without looking.

But Bog's concern expression didn't vanished and he took his hand away from her.

"A'm sorry. A really shouldn't have asked ye to come with me."

"No, no, it's alright. Really." she hasty tried to assure him. "I'm just not used to see...that." With a deep sigh she ran her hand trough her hair. "I really thought I would cope with it better."

He studied her for a few moments, before he spoke again.

"A know that you Fairies befriend animals rather than eat them," Marianne snorted dryly at that. "But A still don't understand why...ye react like that."

Bog had imagined that she maybe would react a bit uncomfortable, since her kind was not used to killing and that's why he was so happy that she still had accompanied him, just to learn more about his world and leaving prejudices behind. But he had never suspected that she would be so...disturbed by it. Now he was afraid, that Marianne would be horrified by him and see Goblins as the cruel monsters her people always painted them.

With that fear in mind, he started to lean back. But Marianne caught his wrist as soon as she noticed his retreat and nuzzled her cheek against his knuckles.

"The other mice," she whispered and he had to bow his head to understand her better. "They were probably it's family."

"Probably." Bog agreed and gently stroked his knuckles against her cheek.

"I just...feel so sorry for them. They didn't do anything bad and still lost a family member." Marianne exhaled frustrated. She must sound so stupid for him. Goblins needed the meat to survive and had no time to think about the feelings of their preys. She almost expected him to call her silly, when she felt how he cupped her face into his large hands and as she looked up she saw how he smiled at her gently.

"As sad as it is...it's how natures work. A won't deny it, that A enjoy the thrill of the hunt. But A would never kill more than A would need to survive, just as the other Goblins do. A explained that to ye, remember?"

Slowly Marianne nodded. "Yes, I do." She exhaled again. "I don't disdain you or your people for something that is in your nature. But still..." she waved her hands frustrated around. "I can't stop thinking about it."

"Ye Fairies just have a rather naive look at the world. Think everything can be befriended with and live in peace together, with your pretty singing and clinging hugs." he said with a chuckle and no hint of mocking in it. He mostly referring with this to Dawn, but it would also fit to many other Fairies. They were indeed naive and thought that with sweet talking all problems could be solved and despised any kind of violence. They could kill when they needed to, when there was a war or a big animal threaten their land, but it was always a last option. Words were preferred over actions, most Fairy Guards were more skilled with their tongue than with their swords, no wonder they were so helpless when the Goblins had attacked them. Death and violence were part of the world, just as sunshine and flowers were. Senseless violence was never a good thing, not even for Goblins. But when the violence was more ferocity, it could bear good things. Like having the dark King of this Forest kneeling besides you and stroke your cheeks with his thumbs. With a grin she softly punched his chest.

"Hey, it worked with you." Bog huffed a laugh at that.

"Well, neither ye or yer sister wanted to eat us and we didn't want to eat ye." At least A wouldn't have allowed it, Bog thought to himself. "So that doesn't really count."

Marianne hummed in agreement and leaned more into his touch, a wide smile spread on her face. She lifted her hands stroked over the back of his.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Bog raised a brow.

"For understanding me and don't...don't call me silly." she said a bit sheepish.

"Oh, tough girl. A would never call ye silly, not because of something like this." He let go of her face in favor to gather her into his arms and hugged her softly, which she returned. "We are different people with different cultures after all. A'm just so proud and happy that ye at least..try to understand us. There will always be things we don't like or can't stand, which are normal for the other. All this flower stuff as example. Ye grew up with it and ye see it as trivial, but for us Goblins it's mostly a nuisance." He sighed content and stroked over her back. "A would never expect from ye to approve of every custom of my culture. As long as ye just accept it, A'm more than pleased." When he finished he kissed the crown of her head and waited for her to say something.

At first Marianne only snuggled closer to him. Bog's words had made her indeed speechless and he was just so right, that she had nothing to add to it. So she chose another curse for this conversation.

"By the spirits, sometimes you really sound like the older one from us." she said with a snort.

That was really not the response he had expected, so he blinked very confused down to her.

"What do ye mean, sometimes?"

But Marianne just shrugged and giggled, when she looked up at him.

"The almighty Bog King. Such a fountain of wisdom." She wriggled her fingers at him and he made a face at her.

"Now, tough girl-" Bog started to talk, but was cut of from Marianne's lips which pressed against his. Surprised by that he was frozen for a few seconds, but when he felt how she chuckled against his lips he relaxed again and returned the kiss. The Princess hummed happily at that. She didn't want to say how much she appreciated his words, how thankful she was for his understanding and how much she loved him, she preferred to show it with a deep, affectionately kiss. The way he hold her closer and also deepened the kiss told her, that he got her message.

Bog was right. There would always be complications. They would be unavoidable and sometimes hard to overcome. But as long as they were willing to listen to each other, to teach other about their different views of the world and their cultures, she was sure they would find ways to solve those complications and learn from it. Adventures were something they both loved and this was just another one of the many they would tread together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? I can write a lot in one day, when I really want to. xD  
> I just hope my gibberish is understandable, I'm not so sure about it with my current state. :'D  
> Thanks a bunch for the prompt RazormusPrime!


	3. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No prompt, but a little idea that stuck with me for awhile now.  
> Daddy Bog muses about his family. Very much fluff.  
> I'm sorry that I didn't describe the children's appearance, but I still work on that.

Bog had hoped he would be back to the castle before the evening, but to his displeasure the urgent emergency had led him deeper into the forest as he wanted. Now it was night and when he arrived at the door of his chamber, he was very sure that no one would be awake at this hour.

Quiet as possible he opened the wooden door and when he entered the room Bog looked to the bed and his former annoyed expression softened into a gentle smile. His whole family was asleep, as he expected it. Marianne laid on the big moss-bed, faced towards the open window, still wearing her usual tunic and the left arm under the pillow. In her right arm, she held their youngest children - the boy twins Taiga and Azor - close to her chest. The babies laid with their backs to their mother. While Taiga's little hands hold on Marianne's arm, Azor seemed to hug his brother from behind. Below her arm, cuddled against her belly laid their second oldest son Dais. He didn't spot their eldest daughter Cynthia at first, but when he came closer Bog noticed that she laid behind her mother covered in her wings.

Carefully he closed the door and walked towards his desk as quiet as possible. Before Bog could even think about getting to bed, he had to write down some things related to that emergency. While he leaned his staff against the wall, the Goblin wondered amused how he even should be able to join his family in bed without waking them, when the kids occupied Marianne from all sites. But that was a problem for later. With a yawn he sat down on his desk, fetched a parchment and started to write. It was a full moon night and since the windows were open, he had enough light for the small task.

From time to time, Bog looked up from his parchment whenever he heard a sound. But it was either the twins making noises in their sleep or Dais snorting for a short while. One time he was sure that Marianne groaned painfully in her sleep. Certainly it was Cynthia's fault. The girl became always a bit twitchy during full moon and it wouldn't be the first time, that she kicked or slapped her parents in her sleep.

Finally Bog had finished writing and with another yawn he rubbed a hand over his face and leaned back. After he made it himself comfortable on the chair his gaze went back to his family.

His Family....

Sometimes it was still hard for the Bog King to wrap his mind around the fact, that he had indeed found the love of his life - in a Fairy of all beings he could have fallen for - and that she was still with him despite his many flaws and the problems her kind had given her because of it. But after almost four years of efforts at persuasion - which included long conversations, where she looked him deep in the eyes, and a few punches to his chest - Bog had finally been convinced that faith had decided to be kind to him and accepted his happiness. It hadn't been long after that, that they followed the traditions of the Goblins and announced Marianne as the official Queen of the Dark Forest. The ceremony had been short and meaningful, quite different from the Fairy wedding they had to get through, after Dawn and Dagda had persuade them to one. By Goblin rules they were mates - or wife and husband when they had to use the Fairy terms - since they had made love for the first time and Marianne had luckily agreed to him, that this was more than enough for her. But to appease her family and her people they had to hold the wedding nonetheless. They couldn't see any white flowers for the next several weeks after that.

Only two months after the ceremonies they had discovered that Marianne was pregnant. The reactions had been very mixed in the kingdoms, but one was the same everywhere: The surprise that it was possible. There had been no records that offsprings from a Fairy and a Goblin were possible and so it was hard to tell how the pregnancy and the birth would proceed. Marianne and Bog had tried to see the whole thing as relaxed as possible and basked in their happiness. They had just grew more and more anxious, when it was clear that the child would come soon. When the time had come specialists from both kingdoms had aided the young queen with the birth of the first Fairy-Goblin hybrid. To their relief there had been no big complications and soon Bog could go to Marianne and their newborn. It had taken him several hours to comprehend that this beautiful, little girl in Marianne's arms was indeed their baby, a sweet creature they had created together. The Goblin King was sure that it was the first time since many years, that he had shed some tears.

As far as Bog was aware of it, the royals of the Dark Forest had only one child in the last several generations, but that hadn't prevent Marianne from having another child. Her arguments for another one had been actually very valid. She knew from experience that with a sibling you were never alone and when they had a good relationship, they could also be best friends. That argument alone had convinced Bog, since he didn't want their daughter to have a similar childhood like him. The other argument was, that they were rulers of two kingdoms - to be more precise, Marianne was - and they needed two heirs. So two years after their first children, Marianne had given birth to their son Dais. Since he would obviously take after his father, it was decided that Dais would be the future King of the Dark Forest, while Cynthia would be the future Fairy Queen. Bog had been a bit afraid, that the more Faily-like Cynthia would reject her little brother, but it became clear very fast, that she totally doted on her baby brother.

The twins hadn't been expected four years later, but weren't welcomed any less than their siblings. But after the painful birth of two babies at the same time Marianne had stated, that she would lock herself away every spring for the next few years. While Cynthia had been very eager to get new brothers to take care of, Dais had been afraid of loosing the attention of his sister and parents. But soon he had discovered the joy of being a big brother and grew very fond of them.

A whimper snapped Bog out of his nostalgic musing and he stood up. As he walked closer to the bed he could see, that Taiga moved restless and made more fretful noises. It didn't seem that he was awake, just sleeping bad, but he surely would wake his brother soon. Before Bog could move the get the little guy in his arms, Marianne - who was still sound asleep - started to caress Taiga's belly with her fingers. He made some happy gurgling sounds and just like that he became as quiet and peaceful as before. Bog let out a relieved sigh and smiled. Even in her deepest sleep Marianne could sense when their children were in distress and just know how to take care of it.

With a few steps back he reached the windowsill and leaned against it with his arms crossed. While he had been impressed by Marianne's motherly instincts from the first moment on, he on the other side felt somewhat...useless. It was the worst when Cynthia was still a baby and they just get used to be parents. Bog tried his best to take care of their daughter, but in the end she always needed to be given to Marianne for feeding or to be taken to sleep. At the time Bog was very frustrated and even abandoned it to take care of his daughter to concentrate on his duties as King. But Marianne was having none of his sulking and made it very clear - with the help of her sword - that maybe she was the one to do the important task for the baby, but it didn't mean that he was less important for the both of them. His job was to disburden her, whenever she was too exhausted and a child always needed the love of both parents. Besides, Cynthia always felt faster asleep when he had played with her and she also slept better when he was around. Having him near her made her feel safe in a way that only a father could. Bog hadn't understood it right away, but he had apologized to Marianne and had taken care of Cynthia as before and the older she became the more he could do for her. When Dais was born it was easier for Bog to let Marianne be in charge for him at first and now with the twins he was glad that Marianne was again the main figure for them for now, so he could look out after the older children.

It was not always easy, that was true. Sometimes the children caused trouble and it was also hard to manage his kingdom and his family at the same time. He and Marianne had arguments on how to raise their children and what would be the best for them. But still he never would have traded this personal piece of joy for anything on the world and beyond. Nothing could make him more happier than the smile that Marianne and the children gave him. And in moments like this, when everything was quiet, peaceful and just...alright, he allowed himself to just enjoy his life and that it was simply perfect as it was right now.

"Daddy?"

Bog startled a bit, when he heard the sleepy voice of Cynthia. He hadn't noticed that she had woken up, since he had closed his eyes during his musing. When he bowed his head, he looked into the bright blue eyes of his eldest, which leaned against his legs and yawned. With a warm smile he crouched to be on her eye-level and hold her on her shoulders, since she was about to pass out of sleepiness.

"Hey, ma wee princess. Did A wake you up?" he whispered to her and got a shake of her head as answer.

"My wings...they hurt again." she murmured and even when she was tired, it was audible that she felt uncomfortable. Bog looked behind her, at the small midnight-blue wings that had started to sprout from her back a few weeks ago. Marianne had told him that around the age of six Fairy children got their wings and that it could indeed hurt sometimes. It seemed that it was similar to getting his wings during his first molds.

"Ah, that's really not nice. Let's see if Daddy can help ye with that." With one move, Bog had Cynthia on his arms and while the little girl wrapped her arms around his neck to cuddle close to him, he started to massage her back around the base of her wings gently. It helped to ease the pain in the new building muscles and the happy murmur from his neck told him, that it worked.

Bog continued the massage for several minutes, before he looked down to the girl in his arms.

"There, feeling better?" Her answer was a weak nod and smile.

"Thanks Daddy." Cynthia nuzzled her cheek against her father stubby chin. He chuckled and gave the crown of her head a kiss.

"Anytime my dear."

He then walked towards the bed and put her gently down. "But now back to sleep. It's far too late for wee princesses to be awake."

Bog watched how Cynthia crawled towards her mother and brothers. When she reached them, the girl simply slumped down besides Dais - who currently faced his mother's belly - and hugged him. Since Marianne's back was now free, the Goblin King went around the bed and carefully laid down behind her. He twisted his left arm under Marianne's figure, so he could stroke with his hand over her arm, that had the twins in it's hold and his right arm went over her sides to place the hand on Cynthia's back. With his arms placed like that, he could cradle everyone closer to him. Still asleep Marianne made a quiet hum at that. Bog gave her a soft kiss on her cheek, before he relaxed himself and started to fall asleep. He was so exhausted from the day and how could you get any better sleep as with the whole family in your arms?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cynthia (6 years) was named after the poetical word for moon. (Now, I wonder why I named her like that? *ironic smile*)  
> Dais (4 years) is named after another word for canopy. (Marianne and Bog like to escape to them, when they want some private time, since scarcely anybody could follow them there. Now guess where Dais was sired.)  
> Taiga and Azor (8 months) are named after slightly changed names for the north and south region of the Dark Forest from the old tongue. (Real world reference: Taiga is another word for coniferous forest and Azor comes from Azores laurel, a tree that grows in the southern areas of the world.)


	4. Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is from a prompt post on tumblr for Magicalstranger13.
> 
> Send me a “Stop” and I’ll write a drabble about one character calming the other down.  
> 'Stop' for Griselda and Cedar, with jealousy?

It was the first feast Cedar had asked Griselda to come with him, since they had started courting two weeks ago. Could this be considered a date? He sure it was and so far it went horrible.

Cedar had to promise her not to drink anything or to get into fights. Griselda had always disliked this and right now she insisted that he still needed to recover from his illness that had almost killed him. It hadn’t bothered him to make this promise, at the moment he would do everything she asked him to do without questioning it. But right now he regretted the promise, since those two things were his only way to enjoy a party. And flirting with females, but that was absolutely out of question now. Not that he had even spent a second to look at someone else than Griselda. 

Now, without his usual options for spending the evening he felt lost for the first time at such a festivity and stood a bit aside from a group of Goblins, that had gathered around Griselda, and leaned against the roots of a tree with crossed arms and watched them. Cedar didn’t like it at all, that most of the group were males who obviously flirted with Griselda. She may enjoyed the compliments, but to his relief she didn’t go for them. Still, his territorial instincts were pushing him on the edge to defend his desired mate from any other suitors and teach them a lesson. To retain his composure was not a talent in which Cedar was very skilled, so he choose to stay away from the group. 

His presence would just end up into a ruckus and he had promised Griselda after all to stay low. Besides, he didn’t want to deny her the chance to find someone more suitable to love. Someone who was normal and…not so broken like him. Cedar still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that she had agreed happily to be with him. He had bet, that she would have refused his courtship after the sacrifice she had to make for him. She really deserved more than a sad figure like him.

Jolly laughter pulled Cedar out of his miserable musing and he looked up to the group. Everyone complimented Griselda for a funny story she had just told, surely about her family. 

He watched them for a while longer, how they all shared stories and talked about the works they did. Slowly he realized something he dreaded to admit. Before that, Cedar had immediately recognized that he was jealous of the other males who tried to ensnare Griselda. They all were a better choice than himself after all. But now it became clear to him, that he also was jealous of Griselda. 

It was her first time being out of the castle since she had started her training there and she already talked with the Goblins here like with old friends. She made the thing look so easy, what was an obstacle for him. Cedar had always admired her straightforward attitude and just like back then he wondered now how she did it. He just wanted to talk with others as easily as he could with her.

The added anger at himself for his stupid and preposterous thoughts made his composure crumble more and more. When he heard how one of the Goblins commented on Griselda’s missing horns, it totally broke and he had to walk away from the area, deeper into the now dark forest.

Cedar walked for a few minutes, until he reached a little clearing that was blotched with small glowing fungi that gave the place a mystical touch. The sight eased his mind for a moment, before the weight of his anger and jealousy hit him again.

With a roar he slammed his fist into the bark of a tree that towered besides him. The impact let the wood crack and splinters made his unprotected hand bleed, but Cedar didn’t care. His breath was labored, not from exhaustion, but from his emotions.

His whole behavior was pathetic, he knew that. What the Goblin prince didn’t know how to deal with it. The only method he was capable of to deal with a problem was to beat the one who caused or was the problem. But when it’s something in your own head, how you make it go away? 

 _Maybe A should slam ma head against the tree_ , he thought dryly. Cedar actually considered this option, but then he heard how someone approached him. For a second he tensed up, but relaxed again as soon as he realized it was Griselda.

“Ced, what are you doing out here?” she asked as soon as she reached him. Her concerned look would normally soothe him, but right now it only gave him a stinging feeling.

“Oh, nothing Grissy. A just realized that being sober at a party can be very boring.” Cedar answered her in his usual nonchalant tone, just barely concealing his bitterness. “A didn’t want to bother ye and yer friends, so A thought I check out the area, to see if everything is okay. Ye know, duty of being the prince and that stuff.”

To avoid looking into her face, he had turned around and walked away further into the clearing. His hand was tucked against his chest, so that she hopefully wouldn’t notice his bleeding. 

Griselda snorted dryly at his explanation. “As if you of all people would be so keen on doing his duty.” With some fast steps she followed him. “You didn’t really leave just because I forbid you to drink? I told you that it is not healthy in your condition and you can gave fun without being boozed.”

When his only answer was a low grumbling, her worry only increased. She tried to walk in front of him, but his long and fast steps were hard to outpace by her own short ones.

“Look, when it was because I neglected you I’m sorry.”

 _That_ made him stop walking and he looked surprised over his shoulder towards her. “What?”

The short Gobliness fidgeted with her hands and looked apologetic at him. “I’m sorry that I left you alone. I know you have a hard time talking with others. It’s just that I was a bit overwhelmed by all those people who wanted to talk to me and I think my passion for babbling overtook me a bit.”

Cedar had now fully turned to her and still looked surprised, before he shook emphatically his head. “Ohnono, ye don’t need to be sorry Griselda, really. It’s just…well…” he tried to explain, but only sighed and waved his hand resignedly.

This was a mistake, because not a second later he heard Griselda inhale sharply, which made him wince.. “What happened to your hand?”

“Ah…nothing?” he tried to dodge the subject, but her look told him that he was on a lost position.

“Oh, I know your nothings. When you say nothing my alarms go off like crazy!” 

“It’s just a few splinters.” he tried to defend himself with a grunt, but Griselda had already put on her _I’m-your-nurse-and-I-don’t-argue-with-you-face_ and Cedar had learned years ago that his only option was to yield. So when she pointed down, he reluctantly let himself drop down on the forest floor and let her examined his hand. 

“How did you get those?” she asked after a few moments when she started to pick a few of the bigger splinters out of his hand.

“A tree walked into ma fist.” he said sarcastic and got a slap from Griselda at his shoulder plate.

“Stop your stupid jokes, I’m serious here. What did you beat yourself up over this time?”

Sometimes Cedar hated it that Griselda could read him so easily. He didn’t know, if he really should talk about this, so from pure recalcitrance he said nothing and looked away.

She sighed annoyed, but didn’t pester him more for the moment and returned to the task of pulling out the splinters. When most of them were out, she ripped of a piece of her leaf dress and bound his hand with it.

“That’s just very provisional. We should head back to the castle and give it a proper treatment. Don’t want you to get another infection.” she tried to make the last part sound more cheerful, but it had the opposite effect on Cedar.

With his good hand he wrung the wrist of his injured one and still looked away. “A’m fine, really. Ye can go back to yer friends.”

“They are not my friends Ced.”

“Hrmpf, but it looked like they - ouch!” Before Cedar could finish his mumbling, Griselda had slapped him again, this time on his head. “Dammit, woman! Ye really need to stop to hurt yer patient more.” he slightly growled at her and rubbed his head.

“When my patient is a bullhead like you I have the right to do so.” she said with a snort and put her hands on her hips. “And since you don’t understand the normal language I have to talk some sense into you this way.”

They were silent for a few moments, before Cedar whispered: “A’m sorry…”

At that Griselda sighed and her shoulders slumped. “You know, I really want to understand what is troubling you, but you have to talk to me.” When he remained silent, she tried another approach. “Do you trust me Cedar?”

“A do, A really do!” he said hastily and the slight panicked expression looked kinda adorable on the face of a Goblin that had the proportionality of a tree. 

“So what’s the problem? It won’t hurt to talk and I promise I won’t tell anyone. Medical confidentiality.” she said with a grin. 

Cedar made a face at her and scratched over his leafy head. “It’s just…” he tried to explain, but the words didn’t want to leave his mouth.

“Is it about the flirting guys?” He winced at that, which was answer enough for Griselda. She walked to his side and patted his arm tenderly. “Oh Ced, sweetie. You don’t need to worry about me being snatched away by those loutish sweet-talkers. Why should I be interested in any of them, when I have the best Goblin of the forest at my side?”

Such affectionately words were still so new to Cedar, that they made him blush intensely and a sheepish, but more than happy smile crept over his face. “Didn’t ye tend to call _me_ a sweet-talker, too?”

Griselda chuckled at that. “True, but you are a honest one, that is different.”

He raised an eye-brow and was about to ask, what she exactly meant with that, but dropped it. The warmth in his belly, that had come up by her words, was gone and again the doubts haunted him.

“A’m by far the best Goblin here. Heck, A’m not even…normal.” he said frustrated, but Griselda only shrugged.

“Pah, what is normal with all these different kind of Goblin races we have, seriously. You aren’t any more abnormal as some of the more exotic Goblins and no one says a word about them.”

Oh, how much did he want to believe that what she said was true. But even the exotic Goblin races still had conspecifics. He was just an abomination no one know how to deal with. His anger grew and his voice became more frustrated. “A’m still so different. Not to mention how fucked up A am. Ye really deserve someone-”

Cedar couldn’t specify who she actually deserved, because she had grabbed his collar and yanked him down, to give him a firm kiss. He startled in surprise and his wings arrayed in all four directions. It was not their first kiss, but the first one he wasn’t prepared for. All his anger and frustration blew out and for the moment there was just a peaceful emptiness in his head. 

When they parted, Griselda looked with such an enamored gaze at him, that he still forgot to breath. 

“What I deserve…and what I want…are things that I can decide for myself, Cedar Prince. And I’m very sure that my decision was to be your beloved, right?” 

He only stared perplexed at her. His head was not empty anymore, but full of blissful emotions, that he didn’t know how to handle. She had to snicker at that and gave him a little slap on his cheek.

“Hey, you stubborn tree, did I break you or what?”

That actually shook Cedar up from his catatonic state and he let out a breathy laugh. “Ye..” he just said with such a happy grin, before he drew her into a tight hug, which made Griselda laugh.

“Careful with this beard of yours, it’s ticklish.” That comment only made Cedar snicker and incited him to rub his beard into her neck, which caused her to laugh hysterically. 

When he decided that she had enough, Cedar released Griselda again and looked with a smitten expression at her. “Ye are wonderful.” he whispered in awe and now it was her turn to blush.

“See? That’s what I meant with you being a honest sweet-talker.” She gave him a weak punch at his shoulder, whereupon his grin only widened. 

“Well, what can A say? A’m honestly in love with ye.”

This made her giggle coyly, before she let out a content sigh and looked at him. “So, everything is alright again?”

For a moment Cedar was about nod, but then remembered the jealousy he had felt towards Griselda’s skill to talk with strangers so easily. Never he would say outright that he was jealous, but he wanted to do something against it.

“Well, there is still one thing.” 

“Oh, and what?

Nervously he scratched his neck. “Ye know A’m not the best when it comes to small talk, but ye seem to be very talented with it.”

“Pff, I think some people would say that is an understatement.” she said in an amused snort, which made him roll his eyes with a smile.

“Whatever. the point is…A really would like to learn to talk with others. Without being rude and start fights.”

The delight in Griselda’s face told him, that this was the right decision.

“Oh sweetheart, I would love to give you some tips for chatting. I’m so proud of you.” Now it was her turn to give the Goblin prince a hug, which he happily returned. She beamed proudly at him, when she took a step back. “The most important thing is, that you need to stop to antagonize everyone. The rest is far more easy, since you really aren’t bad with chitchat. When you talked with my family you had no problem with it.”

“That’s a bit different. A like yer family.” 

“Then you have to act like you like everyone else, too. When they turn out to be idiots, than you can either stop talking with them or tease them like you want.”

Thoughtful Cedar scratched at his beard. “A think…A think that’s doable.”

Pleased Griselda clasped her hands together. “Splendid. When we are back at the castle I can give you some more tips. I’m sure it won’t be hard for you.”

That reminded him off his injured hand. Surprised that he hadn’t noticed the now pulsating pain until now, he looked at the makeshift bandage. He felt now silly for his overreaction back then, but brushed it off with a mental shrug.

“Whatever my sweet nurse says.” he joked and got up.

She giggled and raised a brow at him. “Can I count on it that you will be more cooperative now when it comes to your health?”

“Hmmm, maybe? Ye still need to do some… _convincing_.” he said with a suggestive smirk. 

“Oh, you sly Fox.” Griselda said grinning and nudges his tight with her elbow. “Let’s head back and I will show my kind of convincing.”

“A’m really looking forward to it.” Cedar hummed in a delighted and deep tone, before they started their walk back to the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duh, I really don’t know, if I went into the right direction regarding the calming down part, but I still hope this drabble fits to it.   
> I choose a more sad route, since this shows very good one of the transitions between Cedar’s misery part of life to a happier one.


	5. Give your Parents some Privacy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the Strange Magic Week 2016 - Saturday: Babies/Next Generation
> 
> This little story was spontaneous and I'm very happy that I managed to write something under 1000 words.  
> Just some nice sibling interactions. I imagine that only Dais has the accent of his father, the other three only tend to roll the R.  
> Since I'm too lazy to describe them, [here is a post](http://pikuna.tumblr.com/post/146557724262/so-since-i-decided-to-change-my-original-plans) where their designs are written down.  
> Their ages in this story: Cynthia 18, Dais 16, the Twins 12

"Big Sis!" echoed the two voices of Taiga and Azor over the bushes on the border between the two kingdoms. They were near enough and certainly loud enough so that they were heard by their older siblings Cynthia and Dais, who currently sat on a flat stone on the side of the Fairy Kingdom and enjoying the last rays of the sun.

"Here guys!" Cynthia waved to get their attention, when they flew out of the forest. Immediately they changed their direction to land besides their siblings. The eldest put her papers to the site and looked puzzled at her little brothers. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Taiga and Azor grinned widely and Dais had to groan. He knew exactly what they were up to. And here he had hoped to at least distract his sister with her papers from tonight's events.

"Did you forget what tonight will happen sis?" Taiga asked excited.

"Full moon." Azor said in a rather mysterious voice, before it also changed to excitement. "You know what that means!"

"It's already time again?" Cynthia gasped, but than growled at herself. "Shoot! I really have it forgotten again. Thanks for the reminder."

"Well, what are brothers for?" Taiga made a simple bow.

"We had luck that they didn't lock us up in our room again...."

"Maybe because they trusted ye foolishly to stay there _by yerself_!" Dais voiced out in the background, but was ignored and Azor continued.

"...so this time we can follow them all three together."

Cynthia squeaked in delight. "I really didn't watch them on full moon for such a long time. Did they already fly out?"

Taiga shook his head. "Not when we left. But I'm sure as soon as the sun is down they will head out."

"We need to catch them before that, otherwise we need too long to find them. Let's go!" Azor exclaimed and the twins grabbed their sister by her hands to her feet, making her papers flying around. But before they could even think about spreading their wings, someone stood in their way.

"Are ye guys serious?" Dais growled at them. He maybe was two years younger as his sister, but was already a few centimeter taller than her and could tower over all three of them. Blessed be his father's genes. 

"What's the problem, prissy?" Taiga asked, not very pleased by his brothers intervention. But yelped a second later, when his sister gave him a slight slab on the back of his head.

"No name-callings Taiga." she chided him and the looked at Dais. "Still, what is the matter? We really just want to watch a little bit. No disturbance this time. I promise."

Dais raised a brow skeptical. "A'm sure yer snickering and gushing won't get unnoticed by them. Skies above, just let them alone on their special nights. Ye act like ye never get to see them like..."

"...they are sooo deeply in love with each other?" the twins finished his sentence in union and with rather high voices. Dais made a face at their sweet grins and just waved his hand dismissive.

"Yeah, like that."

"But it is indeed really rare." Cynthia countered with a pout. "It's so adorable watching them being all lovey dovey, but they never do it around others, even us! They are either too proud or acting so damn shy about it."

"Which is also adorable." Taiga adds and Azor nods.

Sighing deeply Dais pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's because ye three, Aunt Dawn and Granny always start gushing about it. A can totally understand them that they don't do it in public, it's embarrassing."

All three in front of him frowned at him and they crossed their arms. He deadpanned at them, before he tried it again. "Come on, guys. Let them have some privacy. It's their special night and they should be able to enjoy it, without fearing that anyone will spy on them." He addressed then Cynthia. "Would ye like it when they would spy on ye while ye are kissing with Mandalina?"

"Gosh, of course not!" she exclaimed and blushed. 

"You kissed Mandalina?" Taiga asked curiously. He and Azor know looked very interested to their sister, who blushed even more.

"Well..."

Dais saw his chance. As nonchalant as possible he said: "A'm sure ye did on yer date with her yesterday. How was it by the way?" His nonchalance turned into a smug smile, when Cynthia shoot him a poisonous look. _Such a hypocrite. Complains when other acts shy, but she isn't much better,_ he thought amused.

 _"_ We didn't even know you had a date with her!" Azor exclaimed indignantly.

"You have to tell us everything!" The twin's attention were now completely turned to their sister, who yield after some seconds and started to talk.

Pleased with himself, Dais sat back on his place and took his sketchbook and pencil in his hands. Hopefully he had bought his parents some time with this, so his siblings wouldn't be able to follow them. For now he returned back to his drawing of the full moon and the flower his parents loved so much.


	6. Anniversary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celepom on tumblr sent me a prompt a while ago from a post. I actually forgot it at first and then other things happened, but I was finally able to write something for it.   
> I actually waited a few more days to write this, since it's my own personal Strange Magic anniversary. One year with this wonderful movie and the great fandom. <3
> 
> Send me a “Congrats” and I’ll write a drabble about their first anniversary

“Really Griselda, you shouldn’t have,” Marianne said in an attempt to sound more delighted than annoyed. It failed. Bog didn’t even tried to hide his irritation and pinched the bridge of his nose with a growl.

The couple had spent the early evening with a spar in the spacy throne room of Bog's new castle, before the Gobliness had invited them up to the dinning room for some diner she had prepared for them. Upon entering the room both had a very strong kind of déjà-vu, but it held only for a few seconds, since this time the decoration of the room wasn't so excessively and the coloring was more set in darker tones.

Griselda clasped her hands together and gave them one of her usual, toothy grins. “Oh, it was no problem, my dear. You two need a nice place to have your special day and I must say I got a knack for doing this.”

At first Marianne blinked in confusion at the short Goblin, before something began to dawn on her and her expression melted into a smile. "In that case...thanks Griselda."

"Ah, don't mention it." She waved with her hand. "You two have a nice time and behave yourself!" she said in a jokingly warning and left the room. Marianne and Bog looked after her for a second, before the Fairy turned her gaze back to the decor. 

"Well, at least she didn't overdo it like the last time. I actually like the colors," she tried to cheer up the mood, since Bog didn't appreciated his mother's efforts in the slightest. 

"Small mercies," he grumbled and poked at a garland that hung above the table they had walked to. "A still wonder what she meant with 'our special day'."

For a second Marianne looked a bit shocked at him. "Isn't that obvious?" 

Bog looked puzzled at the question and her slightly disappointed tone. 

Luckily the hurt Marianne felt lasted only for a second, as she remembered that Goblins didn't celebrate these kind of things. Heck, they didn't even celebrate their own birthdays! Annual things weren't so important to Goblin's, besides the winter and their celebration of the last warm days in autumn. So it would've been mean to be mad at him for forgetting it, especially since she had done it, too.

Her former disappointment turned to mischief, as she decided to play a bit with the clueless Bog.

"Today was the Elf-Spring festival, you know?" she said nonchalant and picked up a berry to roll it in her hand. He raised a eyebrow in confusion about her sudden change in mood and about that statement.

"A doubt _that_  is mother's reason for making such a fuss." He gestured around and waited for a better explanation.

Marianne grinned. "True, but do you remember what happened last years?"

"Last year...," he tried to remember and became a bit sheepish, when something came into his mind. "A kidnapped yer sister?"

With a snort she shook her head. "Yeah, but that's not what I mean. Try harder." She wriggled her fingers at him and that was when he realized she was playing with his ignorance. A bit annoyed about this he growled slightly, but still tried to think of what she could mean. After he looked around in the dining room, to get any clues, it hit him like a thunderbolt.

"It's been a year since we,...well..." he coughed and just waved his hand between them, with a shy and blushing smile. Marianne thought it was so damn endearing that he still reacted like this after this time. Not that she was much better.

"Yeah...," she said in a soft tone and also blushed. 

Exactly one year ago they had stood in the dining room of his old castle, destroying the cutesy decoration and baring their scarred hearts to each other. That night they had fallen for each other and the next morning confessed their love.

They smiled at each other, shy but happy, deep in their own thoughts and realization about all the time that had passed, when Bog suddenly started to curse. 

"Oh bloody hell! Ye Fairies celebrate this kind of...what do ye call it? Anniversary, right?" Panic-fueled he looked around and fidget with his hands. "A'm so sorry Marianne. A haven't thought...am A supposed to do something? Should A have brought a gift?"

To stop his panicking, she put her hand on his arm and squeezed it. "Bog, it's alright. I didn't expect you to do anything."

But he still didn't looked convinced and so she just said with a shrug: "To be honest, I also had forgotten about it, until Griselda brought us here. So, everything is okay."

Her confessed made him relax after a few seconds and she patted his arm in gentle affection.

Now she really felt bad for being disappointed at him earlier. Bog would never really _forget_ about this day, it was just... How had he it explained to her once? Goblin's don't care for how a thing had started, but cherished it for the fact that it was still going on. A sentiment that Marianne could wholehearted understand and support. 

And unlike Roland, Bog had just shown how upset he was about seemingly forgetting an event that was important for most Fairies. Her former fiance had always missed their special days and never had been really sorry about it. He only had pacified her with sweet lies that she had readily believed, even when she had been frustrated about it in the back of her mind.

These days she didn't give such importance to something like an anniversary, especially not when every day she spent with Bog was a little celebration for itself.

Marianne leaned against Bog's side, hugging the arm she had patted before and intertwining their hands. His other hand immediately went to her and started stroking through it. She sighed happily.

"I think my kind puts too much importance to anniversaries and such. You know how much they love it to make merry about every little thing." He made an affirmative sound and she continued. "We don't have to celebrate this day Bog. But it's nice to acknowledge it and maybe... I don't know, reflect a bit?"

Bog hummed in agreement and then let out an astonished huff. "It's hard to believe that it's already been a year."

"Tell me about it," Marianne sighed. She leaned her head against his pauldron and his stroking went from her hair, to her cheeks and jawline. Almost purring she enjoyed his caresses. 

"But A must admit...it's been the best year of ma life." His voice was this gentle, grumbling thing that made her inside go warm. 

At first she wanted to accuse him for being such a sap, but she couldn't bring herself to do so with the way he looked so tenderly at her. Instead she brought the hand, that had been still intertwined with hers, to her lips and gave his knuckles a kiss. 

"Same goes for me," she said in a lovingly whisper. 

Bog gave her a warm smile and then leaned down to her. She met him halfway and they sealed their lips in a sweet, gentle kiss. They both sighed in deep satisfaction during the kiss, before they had to part again. 

"What do you say?" Marianne asked after a few minutes silence and smitten starring. "We have some dinner and then...go and stretch our wings?"

She gave him a playful smile, which he responded to with a chuckle.

"Sounds like a good idea. After all...-" He started to play with a longer strand of her hair.-"The moonlight is perfect right now."


	7. The Goblin Pixie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This little story was written while I’m having a bad cold, so I apologize for the not so good writing and any errors.   
> I just had to write this down. Got the idea while I was thinking about the Pixies in my stories and then I wanted to have Dais getting his own one, mostly because I wanted to write something with him. From all my four Butterfly Bog children he has become my favorite.  
> Anyway, enjoy!

Dais was pressing himself very tightly into the little hole and waited quietly until the badger had walked passed it. He had never imagined how big those animals were and truth to be told, he really could have passed on seeing one in the flesh. 

As soon as the danger was gone, he quietly left his hiding place and went on with his search on the forest floor. Dais really wished he could’ve flied. Was much faster and saver, but the chance to miss the tiny flower bud he was looking for was too big. He just hoped that his researches had been right and he would make the find he was hoping for.

The reason why he was wandering in one of the most dangerous parts of the forest was the gift his sister Cynthia had gotten a few months ago from their parents. It was a tradition for Fairy nobles to have a Pixie at their side and since Cynthia would become the Fairy Queen one day, their father had gotten her one of the Pixie flowers, a small, closed bud that only opens when a resident of the land touches it, where the flower had bloomed. Since Cynthia was more Fairy than Goblin she had gotten a Fairy Pixie. It looked just like the ones from her mother, only that her colors had been green and orange. His sister had given her the name Cora. 

Dais had gotten curious about this little creatures and had asked their mother about it. She had explained that the first person a Pixie would see and get attached to, would make a special connection with it. Pixies had always been helpers and guiders for their connected person, while those were their protectors. Getting very intrigued he had asked, when he would get his Pixie. Sadly his father had to tell him, that Goblin Pixies were extremely rare and there hadn’t been any for generations. Most of their seeds had been destroyed and barely had recovered until now. 

But Dais hadn’t give up on the idea of a Pixie for himself. He just liked the idea of having such a little friend, with whom you had a special connection. It was obvious how wonderful it was, when he watched his mother with her three handmaidens and also Cynthia adored Cora to no end. So he had spent most of his time in the last weeks in the Library-Tree and with the help of his teacher Tytos he finally had found some clues. 

And there he was now, looking for a very special flower bud. Dais discovered a lot of pretty, dark flowers in this region his mother surely would love to see. So he took of his bag and collected a few of them. Should his search be fruitless he had least had a gift for her.  

His bag had been almost full, when a light caught his eyes. It shone through a very thick spot of flowers, so Dais had to push them away to see what it was. He could have cheered out of joy. It was a Pixie bud! It was just as big as his fist and had the color of the clear night sky and glowed in a purple light. Biting his lips to silence his happy giggling, Dais carefully reached for the stalk and cut through it. He didn’t want to touch the bud, not here, but somewhere were it was safer. 

After he had tucked the bud away, secured in his bag, Dais walked out of the little hidden field of flowers, when he suddenly heard a growl besides him. Looking to his right side he cursed inwardly, for the badger had found him again. The animal struck out with his clawed paw, but now Dais used his wings to get higher, out of it’s reach. 

As fast as the wind Dais rushed trough the forest, not slowing down even when he reached the safer parts again. Only when the Goblin Castle came into sigh he slowed down and flew straight to the window of his room. Arriving there he sat himself down on his bed and tried to catch his breath again. 

When he calmed down, Dais put his bag on his lap and took out the bud. It still emitted that purple light. He hold it in his hands and gently rubbed with his thumbs over the closed petals of it. Suddenly the purple light started to disappear into the bud and slowly the flower opened. 

Inside of the flower laid, curled together, a very pretty little Pixie. Fresh born Pixies were smaller than usual and would grow with the time, but Dais was very sure that this one was already bigger than Cora had been when her flower had opened. Her black-colored petal dress also seemed longer than usual. He hold the flower closer to his face to get a better look at the still sleeping little creature. The stalks on her head looked more like spikes, her skin-color was a deep, dark blue and he was sure to see claws on her little hands. 

While the Goblin prince inspected her very curiously, the Pixie started to wake up. When it yawned Dais could see that her teeth were pretty sharp. 

“Good morning there, wee one,” Dais greeted her, when she got up, started to look around and found his face. She curiously tilted her head and now floated around him, seemingly inspecting him. He could barely hold back his smile.

“A hope ye had a good sleep,” he said when she was back in front of his face again. The Pixie made a deep sigh and twittered something he couldn’t exactly understand, but he was sure she was glad to be finally awake. Her chirping wasn’t as high pitched as the other pixies, but more dark and so melodic. He already liked the sound of it.

“Well, then A’m really glad A woke ye up. Seems it got really boring in there,” he joked and the Pixie nodded eagerly. She flew to his hand and took one of his fingers in her little claws, shaking it and chirping her thanks. Dais had to chuckle at that.

“Ye are most welcome. Ma name is Dais by the way.” 

She led go of his finger and smiled at him.

“ _Dais_ ~” she said in a sing-sang voice. He was actually impressed that she already could say something. Pixies normally only did those chirping and twittering sounds. But the he laugh, since she looked so proud at herself and because she was adorable.

“Aye. A suppose ye have no name, right?” The Pixie shook her head. “Would ye like me to give ye a name?” he asked her and got an eagerly nod from his little friend. Thoughtfully he scratched his chin, until he got an idea.

“How about…Melody?” It seemed to be the right choice, since she clapped euphoric and started to twirl around, while whistling a nice melody. He had to laugh at her enthusiasm and hold out his hand to her. She floated into it and sat down.

“It’s nice to meet ye Melody. A hope we can become good friends.”

Melody chirped affirmative and hugged his thumb, which made him laugh again. Then she flew out of his and started to explore his room. Dais let her roam around, watching her with a happy smile. He still couldn’t believe that he had actually found a Pixie bud in the Dark Forest. This was so exciting and he already liked his new little friend.

A whistle drew his attention to the place where Melody was currently floating over: his desk. She pointed had the papers and his drawing utensils, looking inquiring at him.

“Oh that? That are just some drawings A did. It’s one of ma hobbies,” he explained to her, while he got up and went to the desk. “Though A’m not a very good artist, A think they look okay. Wanna take a look?” When she gave him a nod, he spread a few of the papers on the table, so she could look over them. While she did so and made some little appreciating noises, Dais had took one of his sketch books and had started to draw the Pixie. He had just finished it, when he noticed how Melody was looking over his shoulder and peeking on the sketchbook.

“That’s ye. What do ye say?” 

Her answer was a happy chirp and then she cuddle his cheek. Dais laughed and gently petted her head with one finger. 

Suddenly he heard the voice of his grandmother calling for him and his siblings. Dinner was ready. A grin spread on Dais face.

“Oh, A have to introduce ye to ma family. They won’t believe it, when they see ye.” he said excited. Melody tilted her head uncertain, but he just scratched her chin carefully. “It’s okay, A’m very sure they will like ye. Ma mother and sister also have Pixies, so nothing to worry about.”

At the scratching Melody made a purring sound and then giggled, sharing Dais excitement now. When she settled herself on his shoulder, he left the room to meet up with his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dais will later call Melody his little muse and she will be a great backup singer, when he sings.


	8. Undressing Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from MagicalStranger13  
>  **Leave an “Zip Me” in my ask, and I’ll write a drabble about one character dressing another, or the other way around [this can also be used for shutting them up as well, but feel free to specify.]**
> 
> I have no idea why it took me so long to finish this. Maybe because I had this inner conflict that it was too short, but seriously, it is supposed to be short. xD  
> And it still sums up Cedar's and Griselda's relationship in the early stages very good. Not that much will change in the future.

The Cedar Prince laid with his back across his bed, so that his legs were dangling over the edge of one end and his head on the other. Even with his view being so upside down, he watched Griselda roaming around in his (since a week technically _their_ ) room, how she put away few of the things he had tossed lazily to the ground and listened to her telling him about her day. Or at least he tried.

It wasn't that he didn't like to listen to her, quite the contrary. Cedar could spent days just listening to her chattering, her voice was balsam for his soul. The topic was just the problem and could make his attention slip away.

All he got from her day was that she had been out with the head of the Healers and some other apprentices, so he could teach them about some medical plants and where to find them. Most of the other apprentices did a lousy job, while Griselda got a lot of praise from her teacher. That was all that counted for Cedar. 

But there existed gossip that even he liked to hear.

"And you won't believe, what that idiot Gorils did. He grabbed into a Venus flytrap, because he thought he saw something in it. Poor fool was lucky that we got him out before he lost his arm."

"Ha, _that_ A would have loved to see," he said while he laughed out loud. Griselda grinned at him, her hands at her hips.

"Glad you are still listening." Cedar smiled sheepishly at her, which made her chuckle. Luckily she wasn't mad at him for only half-listening all the time, but she was for him being so slouched on the bed. "But do me the favor and lay properly. You will kill the rest of your small brain like that," she chided him and gave him a slight swat on one of his pauldrons.

"Lovely as ever Griselda," he grumbled and moved around until he laid normal on the bed, arms crossed under his head. Bickering like this was normal for them and the playful looks they gave each other was always the reassuring that everything was okay.

"Well, someone has to teach you some manners and it works the best with a few good slaps," Griselda snickered and then bent down to pick up a few scrolls from the ground. Briefly she looked over them, before she throw them at Cedar, who was about doze off. The sudden and unexpected smack of paper in his face almost made Cedar jump out of the bed and she had to laugh at the shrilled yelp he did. Now sitting upright Cedar glared at Griselda, but she wasn't impressed by it. 

"And didn't you promise me to keep the room at least a bit tidy? Really hope it doesn't become the norm that I've to clean up every evening." It was still more joking than real reprehension from her, but Cedar's glare still turned into a remorseful grimace.

"Sorry...," he only muttered and gathered the scrolls together, who were laying all over the bed now. Griselda bit her lip and was about to voice an apology, when he spoke up again. "A'm just...not used to... _this_." 

Not used to have someone around to share things with....who cared for him. Not used to give a care _himself,_ even about the simplest things _._

There was a silence in the room for a few moments, until Griselda walked over to Cedar and put her hand on his arm. 

"It's fine," she said with a reassuring smile. "Just stuff all the papers into the a drawer or so, as long as they don't lay on the floor."

Cedar's own face melted into a thankful smile and he nodded. "Alright."

With a satisfied hum Griselda patted his arm affectionately, before she walked towards one of the drawers that were hers now. She heard from behind how Cedar got up from the bed and started to collect all the papers on the ground and tried to fit them in his work-drawers. And tried was the keyword here. His cursing and the rustle of papers made her chuckle, while she put her necklace and headdress away. When she was about to reach to her side to open the laces of her leaf-dress, she sighed annoyed. Oh, right, this one had the laces at the back. She had totally forgot about that.

"Cedar, dear? Could you help me with my dress?" she asked over her shoulder. Cedar was currently glaring at the -finally - closed drawer and dared it to open up again. But as soon as Griselda was calling him, his whole attention was immediately on her.

"What's the matter with it?" he asked, when he stood behind her and bent so far over her that his face was almost in front of hers, of course upside down. She snorted at this comical display of their different sizes and Cedar smirked. 

"Can't open it, the laces are on the back," Griselda explained and gestured to her back. He straighten up again and looked down at her. 

"How did ye even get this thing on then?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow. 

"I asked someone for help," she simply said and then gestured at her back again. "Would you unlace it now or what?"

Whit a sigh, Cedar went on his knees to get a look on the laces.

"Put on, take off. A really don't get why ye would give yerself so much trouble with those clothing things." he mumbled and started to fumble with the laces. He had no practice with them and those bloody things were so damn small.

"Normally it's not that much of a trouble, I just hadn't considered that I won't be able to handle this one alone," she explained, but then suddenly her tone got harsh. "Don't you dare to slice them Ced!"

Cedar slightly flinched. He had stopped to try to unlace the dress in the normal fashion and had been about to simply slice them open with his close, when Griselda noticed that. Grunting irritated he tried to work the laces open again.

When she was sure that he didn't made another attempt in ruining her dress, she continued talking. "Besides it's fun to wear all these clothes. I think they look good on me and I like to feel pretty."

Finally Cedar was able to open the laces, making a small sound of satisfaction and Griselda could take the dress. He stood up and looked slightly confused at her.

"Ye always look pretty, Griselda. With or without these clothes," he said in such a genuine way, so different from his usual charming way to compliment a female. The honesty of his words made Griselda blush and she fumbled a bit with her dress, before she was able to put it in her drawer. She turned around to him and shrugged.

"Maybe. But as I said it's fun and I like it."

He titled his head and studied her with a curious glint. Griselda thought that with him being such a tall and imposing appearing Goblin, he really looked adorable like this. Then it was his turn to shrug.

"Ah, well. As long as it makes ye happy." 

"It does," she said with a happy hum and turned around to walk towards the bed. But suddenly she was gathered up in Cedar's arms and he carried her, despite the protesting sound she made. 

"Sorry, A'm just so damn tired," he apologized to her and flew into the bed without letting her go.

"Hrmpf, from what should you be tired? You weren't the one walking through half of the forest today," she said in an amused tone, but was really glad not to have to stand on her legs anymore. Tiredness overcame her now fully, when Cedar laid them both down.

"Hey, waiting for ye to come home can be exhausting, too," Cedar chuckled and started nuzzling her neck, while he hugged her close to his chest. Griselda had to giggle. His beard always tickled her, whenever he nuzzled her, but she really enjoyed it nevertheless. 

They played and snuggled around a bit more, until Griselda signaled him with a few pats on his head that she wanted to stop now. After giving each other a goodnight kiss, they settle down, tightly embraced, to let sleep overcome them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want a picture now, how Cedar bends down to look upside down at Griselda. It's such a funny image. xD


	9. We were once like Gemini

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I heard the song [Who? from Disturbed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9qT8R99SFc) for the first time, I immediately got this idea for a little angst drabble about Taiga & Azor, since it fits so damn perfectly for them. A bit sad that my first drabble of them alone is an angsty one, but well. xD  
> I’m very vague here, but I actually already know and planned what’s going on.   
> Maybe one day far away I will write the complete story, if my heart can bear it.  
> The twins are 22 years old in this story.

Azor was at a loss and desperate. What the heck had happened to his brother? They both were loud boys, especially Taiga, but since weeks he was rather quiet and gazed into space. _When_ he had talked it had always been nasty words, even to their best friends. They both had said things in the past that hurt people, but it never had been on purpose. Not like Taiga did now. He also went out in the middle of the night without telling him or anyone else.

Azor went almost mad for not knowing what bothered his brother or where he went. They always had done everything together, shared everything and never had secrets from each other. Heck, they were even able to finish each others sentences, since they always thought the same. But this wasn’t the case anymore. Never had Azor felt so disconnected from his twin and it terrified him to no end. It was like looking at a stranger.

And today Taiga went too far. Since his weird change he was rather reserved towards their parents, but this time he had thrown cruel insults at them and then simply left the room. The whole family looked after him in shock and confusion, before their father to comfort their mother, who was on the verge of tears. It had broken Azor’s heart when he had seen the distressed expression of their mother that had been caused by one of her own children. It had spurred on his decision to confront Taiga, this time for real.

When Azor found Taiga, he was on his way deep into the forest. He flew after him as fast as he could and when he landed behind him, he stopped Taiga by putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Brother, wait!” Azor said and had to jump a step back, because Taiga spun around and growled into his face.

“ _What_ do you want?” This aggressive tone of his brother shocked Azor for a second, but he shook his head and looked at him with a stern, but also expression.

“I want to now what’s _going on_ with you! First you behave so cool and nasty and now you said those...those _things_ to mom and dad. Why would you do that?” His last words had become more insistent, in hope his brother would understand how much he needed an answer to this. Taiga didn’t seemed to be very  impressed by this.

“It was deserved and they know it,” Suddenly he took a step closer towards Azor and raised a warning claw towards his face. “Besides I don’t owe you a bloody explanation for anything!”

“You almost made mother cry!” Azor snarled back and slapped the hand of his brother away. “Of course I and the others deserve an explanation on why you said that!” But Taiga gave no explanation and only glared at him. Slowly getting impatient with this stubborn attitude, Azor took a deep breath through his nose. “Taiga, I’m worried about you. In the last weeks...you have changed so much. I don’t recognize you anymore.” 

“I’m just growing up, little brother. Get over it,” With those words Taiga turned around and started to walk away. But Azor wasn’t finished with him.

“We are twins you idiot,” He snarled and took his brother by his arm to stop him from walking away and turn him around. “Brothers. Family. That once meant something to you. Don’t tell me you don’t care for it anymore and you can live with those words you’ve said to our parents.” Again Taiga gave no answer and only looked away, but now a bit of guilt was visible on his face. Azor took his chance and continued in a more gentle tone. “Taiga, please. We never had secrets from each other. You know you can tell me everything.” 

“I want to.” Taiga almost cut Azor short with his fast and desperate talked words. “But I don’t know...It’s like a whisper in my head that makes me so angry at everyone for no good reason. It feels so...dreadful.”

When the eyes of the brothers met, Azor could see the same thing in his brother’s expression he felt: distraught fear about what was happening right now. He gave him a look of sympathy, but then Azor’s gaze felt on the bracelet on Taiga’s right hand. They had found it a few weeks ago in an old ruin. It was a silver bracelet, with a black gem inside it that had a red shimmer to it.

“Your behavior changed after we found this bracelet. Maybe it has something to do with it.” When Azor reached for the bracelet something seemed to snap inside Taiga, for he suddenly freed himself from his brother’s grip and took a few steps back.

“NO! Don’t you even dare to touch it. It’s mine!” Taiga’s whole stance became defensively, drawing the arm with the bracelet close to his body and he bared his fangs. 

“Okay, now I’m definitely sure it has something to do with it.” Azor said with confusion and worry in his voice. Slowly he walked towards Taiga and stretched his hand out. “Give it to me brother. We have to show this to Tytos, maybe he knows what it is and what it does to you.”

“You only want it for yourself!” Taiga almost barked at him and took another few steps back, but Azor followed him. 

“I never was a jewelry person, you should know that,” he said dryly.

As soon as he was close enough he grabbed for Taiga’s arms and hold them above their heads “Now let go of it!”  
Of course his brother wouldn’t give up so easily, so Azor struggled with him to bring his arm into a position, so he could slip the bracelet from his wrist. He almost had accomplished this, when Taiga was now the one who grabbed him by the arms and had him in his grasp.

“I wouldn’t try this, if I were you,” came the growling warning from Taiga, whose voice had suddenly become much darker and his pupils turned into slits. Azor was too surprised by this, so that he wasn’t able to do anything against Taiga, who tossed him with all his strength to the ground. With a pained snarl Azor propped himself with his arms and coughed. When he looked up he saw that his brother stood by his side, a sadistic smile on his face.

“You don’t want to do this Taiga,” Azor said with a shaky breath, desperation audible in his voice. 

“Oh, you are so wrong with that, dear brother,” Taiga said with evil amusement, before he kicked his brother in his side and skid him against a tree. Bones were cracking and Azor howled in pain, laying on the ground. Taiga sauntered towards him and kneeled besides him, to gave him a last warning that he whispered. “I’m sick of playing happy, perfect family with you guys. From now on I will do my own thing, without a hanger-on. So don’t even try to follow me.”

Azor couldn’t do more than watching how his brother then walked away from him, deeper into the more unknown parts of the forest. He dropped his head back on the ground when he was out of his sight, still breathing shakily and unable to move from his surely broken ribs.

Just what the hell was going on here? By now Azor had this unsettling feeling that this wasn't his brother anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't even want to imagine what Taiga has said to Bog and Marianne. DX


End file.
